Month: June 2011

Angus, who has recently received an NSF EAPSI fellowship, will spend the summer in Taiwan working with Chau-Ti Ting and Shun-Chern Tsaur on the ecology of fly-microbe interactions in Taiwan. His work will focus on the roles of host species, diet, and chance in the assembly of gut microbial communities of ecologically diverse Drosophila species.

Good time was had by thirteen lab members and their friends on a three-day backpacking trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park last weekend. Cool weather, no mosquitoes yet, and a beautiful mountain lake completely to ourselves. Scrambling over Fantastic Lava Beds, climbing to the top of Cinder Cone, a short rappel down a snow slope – what’s not to like? Dave had to wrestle a bear (or so he claims) and Thad ought to be thoroughly sick of Power Bars, but everyone is back in one piece save for a few scrapes and bruises.

Daniel receives a PUF grant to work on the sex-specific wiring of peripheral sensory organs into the CNS. The highly competitive PUF grants promote independent research by UCD undergraduates, and Daniel is one of the very few freshmen ever to receive this honor. He joins the ranks of our previous PUF recipients – Pam, Helio, and Angela.